JPH0634180A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a comfortable atmosphere to a person in a room by a method wherein an air-conditioning machine is controlled based on the stored data of rhythm of living human body, conditions in regard to an indoor atmosphere and the position as well as the condition of the person in the room. CONSTITUTION:A body feeling temperature operating means 6 inputs physical amounts, detected by a temperature detecting means 11, an airflow detecting means 12, a radiation temperature detecting means 13, a humidity detecting means 14, an amount of activity detecting means an amount of wearing clothing detecting means 10 and the like, receives results from an elapsed date and elapsed time operating means 8 and operates a body feeling temperature while inputting the rhythms of season and time from a rhythm of day and year memory means 7. A periodical function selecting means 4 receives a result inputted by a person in a room and fluctuates an indoor temperature with a predetermined periodical function. The indoor temperature is fluctuated about the body feeling temperature operated previously in accordance with the periodical function, an amplitude and a period, then, the indoor temperature is set in accordance with the fluctuated body feeling temperature while a control means 2 controls the air-conditioning machine 1 based on the set indoor temperature. The person in the room is provided with comfortable atmosphere in such a manner.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an air conditioner,
More specifically, the present invention relates to an air conditioner having a function of controlling the position and state of a person in the room and the biological rhythm of the person in the room so that a comfortable environment can be controlled.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, as this type of air conditioner,
For example, the one disclosed in JP-A-2-306039 is known. In the device disclosed in the above publication, the biological rhythm,
The operation control of the air conditioner for a day is performed at a preset sensible temperature according to the circadian cycle of the human body indicated by the life pattern, and the ambient temperature and the reference date are used for the general rhythm (seasonal feeling). The target sensible temperature is set in advance based on the elapsed time and the control is performed so that the circadian cycle is shifted according to the season.

[0003]

However, as described above, the biological rhythm of the human body, the circadian cycle determined by the life pattern,
Even if the sensible temperature is set and controlled according to the circadian rhythm, it is general and not based on the sensation of the individual in the room. Therefore, it is hard to say that the above-described control can always create a comfortable air-conditioned space for the individual in the room. Therefore,
The present invention has been devised in view of the above circumstances, and provides an air conditioner having a function of controlling the living rhythm of the human body so that the environment is comfortable for the occupants. The purpose is.

[0004]

[Means for Solving the Problems] To achieve the above object, the main means adopted by the present invention are, as its gist, storage means for storing the biological rhythm of the human body and conditions related to the indoor environment. First detecting means for detecting, second detecting means for detecting the position and state of a person in the room, data stored in the storing means, and signals from the first and second detecting means. The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a control unit that controls the air conditioning apparatus based on the above. In the above structure, the first detection means means a general concept of a detector for detecting the outdoor temperature, the indoor temperature, the humidity, the air flow, the radiation temperature, etc.
Means of detection means a general concept of a detector that detects a body surface temperature related to the position including the movement of an occupant in the room, the skin exposed to the outside of the occupant, or the clothing condition. . Further, the control target by the control means is the operating capacity of the air conditioner, the blown air volume, the wind direction, and the like.

[0005]

In the air conditioner having the above structure, the condition relating to the indoor environment is detected by the first detecting means, and the position and the state of the person in the room are set to the second position.
Is detected by the detecting means. Then, the air conditioner is operated based on the signals from these detection means and the biological rhythm stored in the storage means. As a result, various conditions are adjusted so that the environment is comfortable with the occupant in the room as a reference while considering the biological rhythm of the human body.

[0006]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments embodying the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings for the understanding of the present invention. The following embodiments are examples of embodying the present invention and are not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention. Here, FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a graph of circadian and annual rhythms showing an example of daily changes in body temperature and skin temperature, and FIG. Is a graph showing changes in the basic sensible temperature of the day, FIG. 4 is a graph showing an example of changes in the set sensible temperature in the air conditioner with respect to the basic sensible temperature, and FIG. 5 is an input means constituting the air conditioner. FIG. 6 is a system diagram in the case of detecting the amount of activity of a person in the room by a CCD camera that constitutes the air conditioner, and FIG. 7 is stored in the image storage device that constitutes the air conditioner. It is a figure which shows the comparative example of the image | video and the image | video output from the CCD camera to the image processing apparatus which also comprises the said air conditioning apparatus. Conceptually, the air conditioner according to this embodiment has a storage means for storing a general circadian rhythm pattern and a yearly rhythm pattern relating to a human body in a time series, and an outdoor temperature, an indoor temperature, a humidity, and an air flow. First detection means for detecting a condition related to the indoor environment such as radiation temperature, a position including movement (activity amount) of a person in the room, and skin or clothing exposed to the outside of the person in the room Second detection means for detecting body surface temperature and the like related to the situation,
And a control means for controlling the operating capacity, blown air volume, wind direction, etc. of the air conditioner based on the data stored in the storage means and the signals from the first and second detection means. ing.

That is, the basic sensible temperature of the person in the room is determined based on the signal from the first detecting means and the pattern of the circadian rhythm and the circadian rhythm stored in the storage means. The air conditioner is controlled by making a correction in consideration of the signal from the second detecting means. Hereinafter, specific examples of the air conditioner will be described in detail. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes an air conditioner including an outdoor unit and an indoor unit, 2 is a control means of the air conditioner 1, and 3 is a setting means for setting an indoor temperature, an air flow and the like according to a sensible temperature. . Further, reference numeral 4 is a periodic function selecting means for changing the room temperature by a predetermined periodic function in response to the result input by the occupant through the input means 5. Further, 6 is a temperature detecting means 11,
The physical quantities detected by the air flow detection means 12, the radiation temperature detection means 13, the humidity detection means 14, the activity amount detection means 9, the clothing amount detection means 10, etc. are taken in, and the results from the elapsed date / elapsed time calculation means 8 are received. It is a sensible temperature calculation means for determining the time and time and calculating the sensible temperature by taking in the circadian and circadian rhythms of the time and time from the circadian / circadian rhythm storage device 7. First, the elapsed date / elapsed time calculating means 8 determines when the present time is by calculating the date and time from a predetermined date, and the circadian / yearly rhythm storage device 7
The current elapsed date and time are transmitted to. The circadian / circadian rhythm storage device 7 stores the circadian / circadian rhythms of body temperature and skin temperature in time series throughout the year. Based on the time-related data, the body temperature and the skin temperature at that time are taken out from the storage device, and the data about the body temperature and the skin temperature, which are generally basic, are output to the sensible temperature setting means 6.

FIG. 2 shows changes in body temperature and skin temperature for one day, which are stored as an example, and such data is stored in time series throughout the year.
In the sensible temperature calculating means 6, in addition to the input of the body temperature and the skin temperature, the temperature detecting means 11, the air flow detecting means 12, the radiation temperature detecting means 13, the humidity detecting means 14, the activity amount detecting means 9, the clothing amount detecting means. The values detected by 10 are input, and the basic sensible temperature is calculated based on these data. An example of the result is shown in FIG. The figure shows the change in the basic sensible temperature which is the actual control target corrected according to the person in the room. In the detection of the above-mentioned activity amount, as shown in FIG. 6, the position of the human body is detected by the CCD camera 20 provided with the wide-angle lens at regular intervals, and the signal is supplied to the image processing device 21. . In the image processing device 21, the addresses of the projected video are sorted and stored in the image storage device 22. The CCD camera 20 supplies the image to the image processing device 21 at every predetermined scanning time, and the address in the image storage device 22 previously stored and the address changed with the movement of the newly supplied human body. The amount of activity in the occupant can be detected by the difference between and. For example, in FIG. 7, in the image storage device 22, the head of the human body is (3, 3) in the XY coordinate system.
The image is present at the address 1) and the image supplied from the CCD camera 20 is also moved to (1, 1) in the XY coordinate system. Therefore, in this example, the occupant has acted in the X direction by 2 units in the predetermined time. The periodic function selecting means 4
A preset periodic function (for example, a periodic function represented by a sine wave, a triangular wave, a Fourier series, or a rectangular wave) is incorporated in the room.
Select the periodic function using the remote control device shown in
Amplitude and cycle can be set.

As described above, the sensible temperature previously calculated is changed in accordance with the periodic function, the amplitude, and the period, and the room temperature is set by the setting means 3 in accordance with the changed sensible temperature. As a result, the control means 2 controls the air conditioner 1 based on this. FIG. 4 shows an example in which the set sensible temperature is changed in a sinusoidal manner with the basic sensible temperature as the center between 12:00 and 13:00. In the air conditioner configured as described above, when the operation control of the air conditioner 1 is performed based on the indoor desired sensible temperature, the circadian, circadian rhythm and activity amount, clothing amount, and air conditioning that are biorhythms of the human body. Since the set target value is determined by periodically changing the sensible temperature based on the temperature, airflow, radiant temperature, humidity, etc. of the space, with a predetermined waveform, it is appropriate for people in the room. It is possible to prevent the discomfort caused by getting in the room without being acclimated to the surrounding environment in the room, and to create a more comfortable environment than before. Further, since the operation control of the air conditioner 1 is performed by directly detecting the amount of activity of the person in the room, the basis of the sensible temperature that is most comfortable according to the constitution or life pattern of the person in the room. It can be air-conditioned and can create a comfortable environment in line with real life.

[0010]

As described above, according to the present invention, the storage means for storing the biological rhythm of the human body, the first detection means for detecting the condition related to the indoor environment, the position of the person in the room, and It is provided with second detecting means for detecting a state, and control means for controlling the air conditioner based on the data stored in the storage means and the signals from the first and second detecting means. Since the air conditioner is characterized by the above, it is possible to control the operation of the air conditioner in consideration of the biological rhythm of the human body so that the environment is comfortable for the occupants.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a graph of circadian and annual rhythms showing an example of daily changes in body temperature and skin temperature.

FIG. 3 is a graph showing changes in basic sensible temperature during the day.

FIG. 4 is a graph showing an example of changes in the set sensible temperature in the air conditioner with respect to the basic sensible temperature.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of an input unit that constitutes the air conditioner.

FIG. 6 is a system diagram in the case of detecting the amount of activity of a person in the room by a CCD camera that constitutes the air conditioner.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a comparative example of an image stored in an image storage device constituting the air conditioner and an image output from a CCD camera to an image processing device also constituting the air conditioner.

[Explanation of Codes] 1 ... Air conditioner 2 ... Control means 3 ... Setting means 4 ... Periodic function selecting means 5 ... Input means 6 ... Sensible temperature calculating means 7 ... Circadian / circadian rhythm storage device 8 ... Elapsed date / elapsed Time calculation means 9 ... Activity amount detection means 10 ... Clothing amount detection means 11 ... Temperature detection means 12 ... Air flow detection means 13 ... Radiation temperature detection means 14 ... Humidity detection means 20 ... CCD camera 21 ... Image processing device 22 ... Image storage device

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Kenji Yao, 22-22 Nagaike-cho, Nagano-cho, Abeno-ku, Osaka City Sharp Corporation (72) Inventor, Shuichi Sakata 22-22, Nagaike-cho, Abeno-ku, Osaka City, Sharp Corporation

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A storage means for storing a biological rhythm of a human body, a first detection means for detecting a condition relating to an indoor environment, and a second detection means for detecting a position and a state of a person in the room. And an air conditioner that controls the air conditioner based on the data stored in the storage means and the signals from the first and second detecting means.